Part 2- Saturday
Snails hadn't wanted to get out of bed that morning. He imagined himself cocooned in his blankets like a moth that would be reborn into something that had new friends and someone to interview for school on Monday. That fantasy was quickly dashed. His blankets were forcibly removed, for a second flying in the air above Snails- like the moth he wanted to be was moving out of his reach.
“Breakfast is ready, Snails!” his mother declared cheerfully. The pale yellow-green unicorn mare hung the blankets over the end post of his bed with her orange magic, and made shooing gestures with her fore hooves.
“Moooomm,” Snails whined. He turned over and stuck his pillow over his head to try to block out the sound of her voice. It didn’t work.
“What’s wrong, Snails, are you sick? Should I take you to the doctor? Let me get a thermometer.”
“I’m fine, mom! I just wanna sleep in.” His words didn’t soothe his mother as she flew the blankets back unto her son and began levitating a thermometer, hot pad, and various types of medicines from the bathroom in the next room. Snails knew from experience Bird of Paradise always knew what was wrong with her plants, but not her son.
“Lethargic, huh? Sounds like sickness to me! Oh dear, what if it’s a serious disease? Wintertime is the worst time to get sick-“ Snails gave up, crawling out of bed.
“I’m up, Mom! I’m fine! What’s for breakfast?” his mother stared at him a moment and then smiled, sending the medicines back to the bathroom.
“Cream of whey!”
As soon as breakfast was over, Bird of Paradise made sure Snails was thoroughly bundled in warm clothing.
“Time to go outside and have some fun!”
“Mom, can’t I stay in today? It’s cold outside!”
“Cold or not, you need sunlight and fresh air, sweet pea.”
“I’m not a plant, Mom.”
“…Plants are living things too,” his mom replied uncertainly. She shoved him out the door before he could argue further. Sometimes Snails wondered if his Mom saw him as much of a pest as his namesake was to gardens.
Ponyville had been frosted with snow and ice during the snowstorm last night, and Snails could still make out the ice patterns the designers of the weather team drew on each cottages’ windows. Usually Snails would walk over to Snips’ on an almost daily visit, but even though sleeping had calmed him down he still didn’t want to see his friend- if Snails could still call Snips that. Instead, Snails found himself treading through the snow-covered road towards the town’s center where many of Ponyville’s stores resided.
Many of Ponyvilles’ ponies were early risers, so Snails quickly found himself under foot of many a mare and stallion bustling about to do their morning chores and checking in with their neighbors. The pink mares Daisy and Lily shoved past him. A sticky stallion carrying several jelly jars knocked him over with barely a passing “sorry”. When an older stallion muttering about his arthritis meds stepped on his left fore hoof passing by, Snails retreated against the nearest storefront wall to avoid the hoof traffic.
Close to the pink-brick building, the aromas of chocolate and sugar tickled his nose. He was in front of Bon Bons’ Candy, the name painted on the store’s front window in curly yellow and blue letters. Often Snails and Snips would come here after they got their allowances. The toffees were Snails’ favorite, but Saturday- the day before he got his allowance- was often his poorest day. He pressed his nose to the window and sighed. Bon Bon didn’t like unattended children in her store- especially when they didn’t have money.
“Snails?” A voice said next to him. It was Twist: a cream colored filly with a curly mess of a mane and a twin candy cane Cutiemark. Snails knew her from school, but he’d never been close to the filly. Twist removed her purple-framed glasses and wiped the condensation from the lenses with her scarf. “Where’s Snips?”
Snails avoided the question.
“Hi Twist. Working today?” With her special talent in candy making, Twist had been scouted for an apprenticeship with Bon Bon. It was a time consuming apprenticeship that Snails assumed was the reason he hadn’t seen Twist and Apple Bloom playing together recently. Yet Twist didn’t seem to be lonely- in fact, every time Snails came into the store Twist seemed to be having the time of her life.
Snails noticed the filly staring worriedly and knew the dodge had been noticed.
“Would you like to come in for some candy Snails? I need a taste tester for the new taffy flavor I came up with.”
“Yeah!” Snails replied, cheering up some.
The taffy-pulling machine swerved in and out in hypnotizing figure eights. It cleared Snails’ mind watching the creamy substance be stretched, broken in half and stretched over and over again, making Snails first miss Twist speaking to him.
“Hello, Snails? Free candy here.” Snails blinked, and came to attention.
“Are you sure it’s okay to just give it to me?” he wondered aloud.
“You’re just taste testing, its not like we’re loosing product we could sell. Although if you do like it, Bon Bon might consider selling it,” Twist explained with a smile. She handed Snails a round piece of blue taffy twisted into a wax piece of paper. He ripped it open with his magic and popped it in his mouth. Candy was candy, right? How could it be bad?
He wasn’t expecting salt to be the first thing he tasted in something that usually was sweet. Immediately the salt was overpowered by the taste of blackberries, followed by a hint of seaweed.
“I call it Ocean Spray taffy. People usually expect sea salt taffy to taste more like the ocean, right? I wanted to see if I could find something ocean-like that would taste good. It is good, right?”
Snails didn’t want to hurt Twist’s feelings, so he swallowed wordlessly while trying to think of a polite way of saying no, salt seemingly sticking to his mouth.
“How’s your progress on the report going?” Twist asked, changing the subject.
“Oh, um, good,” Snails lied. “How’s yours going?”
“It’s great. I asked my mom for suggestions, and she helped me make an appointment with Nurse Sweetheart this afternoon.”
“What does candy have to do with medicine?” Snails asked, dumbfounded.
“It doesn’t, really, but Nurse Sweetheart specializes in nutrition. In this case, I would be looking into nursing for ways to make healthier candy. That’s a twist, right?” Twist giggled.
Snails shudders at the idea- he’d eaten sugar-free candy before and hated it. Often anything with ‘health’ in it meant tasteless junk. Why did health-obsessed ponies have to ruin perfectly good food?”
“Was that Taffy… healthy?”
“Oh, no, that was just regular bad-for-you candy. But I guess it was bad in more than just that way, huh?” Twist laughed a little and Snails joined her, relieved he wouldn’t have to hurt her feelings. Catching Snails’ eyes, Twist’s smile grew even wider.
“Here, let me get you some candy Bon Bon made. It’ll be on me.”
“Thanks!”
“I’m glad you seem to be feeling better. May I ask what you seemed down about?” Snails didn’t want to say, but something about the tender gaze of the filly opened him up, and soon the entire story was out.
“-And now I’m gonna fail and its all Snips’ fault!” he finished.
“I’m sorry, Snails. Hey, maybe Bon Bon can help you with your report! She makes candy-shaped animals sometimes, maybe making candy insects could be a use of your special talent.”
“Maybe…” Snails replied, but he wasn’t certain. He thought he preferred to eat candy rather than make it.
“Good morning Twist!” Bon Bon called, walking into the candy shop’s kitchen. She spotted Snails, and Bon Bon’s sweet smile seemed forced.
“Hello, Snails. Are you… friends... with Twist?”
Twist’s face was unmistakingly red as she looked down at her hooves.
“He is,” she replied, and the look Bon Bon gave Snails was one he would recognize later in life as ‘angry dad with a shotgun’. The smile was back when Twist looked back up, but Snails didn’t want to linger. Flattening his ears and taking a step back, Snails said,
“I think I should go now.”
“Really?” Twist seemed confused. “But what about-“
“I’ll manage!” he replied, giving Bon Bon a wide berth as he stepped around her to go out the kitchen’s only door.
“Come again soon!” she called after him.
“Please do,” Bon Bon added. Snails had no intention of doing so.
****
Of course he had been in the shop before, but Snips felt a big difference in the titles “customer” and “guest”. He stood in front of Carousel Boutique debating whether becoming a frozen lawn ornament would be easier than knocking on the door and possibly being rejected by his dream mentor. Coming to the conclusion- with his weight and overbite- he would not make an ornament attractive enough for Rarity to keep, he lightly bumped his fore hoof on the purple door. A mouse’s sneeze would’ve made a louder noise.
‘What are you doing, Snips?’ He asked himself inwardly. ‘Aren’t your dreams important enough to risk a little hurt? Be a stallion!’
He knocked twice. It wasn’t a sound someone who wasn’t right on the other side of the door could hear, so he was surprised when it flew open anyway.
“Welcome, Snips! It’s a pleasure to see you, darling.” Rarity had wrapped herself in a Neighponese housecoat adorned with pink peonies, and tied her purple mane up into a bun held in place with pink crystal chopsticks.
“H-hello, Miss Rarity,” Snips squeaked. He silently groaned. He had wanted to sound confident and dashing, but his squeaky voice had ruined that. Rarity hadn’t stopped beaming at him, though, so maybe he wasn’t doing so badly.
“Come on in, Snips, you look freezing just standing there,” Rarity encouraged. She shut her door behind the colt as he took eager steps inside. The shop was just as femininely decorated as he remembered, and already he could feel the benefit to the draped-in-fabric walls- the chill from the open door was rapidly dissipating due to the insulation they provided. Snips’ attention was stolen by what must be Rarity’s current projects on the dress forms nearby. Everything just filled him with awe.
Rarity had become well known for dressing the Princess of Friendship and her friends, whom were becoming even more famous each time they saved Equestria. The dresses they wore from the Grand Galloping Gala made look-a-like gowns popular.
Ponies who wanted dresses like Fluttershy’s got delicate styles inspired by nature. Rainbow Dash’s line was spunky and energetic. Apple Jack’s were country-chic, and Pinkie Pie’s were playful with a touch of filly doll lolita. Rarity had given Princess Twilight Sparkle herself a classic elegance that fit the pony well, but somehow, the ornate dazzle Rarity put into her own dresses seemed much more suited for royalty.
Snips wondered if he might see the finished dresses for himself, rather than in the latest fashion magazine that always featured what the Princesses were wearing. It all depended on how well today went. Snips felt a tiny tug on his scarf and saw Rarity’s dainty white hoof on the end of it.
“May I get that for you?”
Snips nodded in response, and unwound it a little from the other end less Rarity do too much of the work.
“Sweetbelle, Snips is here!” Rarity called, and floated his outerwear unto a nearby hat stand. Snips remained still, hoping that Rarity would look closer at the coat he had worn but she barely seemed to give it a glance. After his first failed coat altering that gave him his Cutie Mark, Snips would often save bits of his allowance to buy coats from the loyal thrift store so he could try again.
The coat he had worn was his latest alteration. He didn’t think he had re-sewn the lining of the coat right as it felt itchy and the shoulders were tight, but the outside looked pretty great. He had even embroidered his scissors Cutie Mark unto the lapel pocket- so what if he had sewn it shut in the process and the spaces between the stitches weren’t even! The mare lead Snips out of her store front and into the kitchen, where the table in the center immediately caught his eye.
In the center was a crystal vase holding a large bouquet of satin pink, white, and red roses, each with a gem in the center matching the color of the rose. There was a three-tiered display of tiny sandwiches cut into triangles and rectangles on the bottom, circular scones with a tiny silver bowl of strawberry jam in the center on the middle, and cupcakes on the top, each with frosting roses on top that matched the satin roses. Her porcelain teapot, cream cup, sugar pot, cups, and plates set into three places also had roses decorated on them. Each plate had glistening silverware around it that had a rose shaped into the end, and a pink napkin sitting on top folded into a swan. And this all lay on top of a white lace tablecloth that had white roses embroidered into it.
Snips stepped towards the table and pulled out a dark brown chair to sit on when Rarity cleared her throat.
“Snips, you are young so I’ll forgive the faux pas, but you do not sit until the ladies are seated, and no one sits until every lady is present.”
“S-sorry!” he exclaimed, leaping back from the chair like it was red-hot.
Snips blushed, inwardly scolding himself. Of course Rarity would care about those manner things! What was it his Mom had tried to teach him? He could really only remember his ‘please’ and ‘thank you’s.
“Now while we’re waiting for Sweetie Belle, please do enlighten me- what are your intentions towards her?”
“Errr…” Right, that lie that got him here in the first place. “I just wanna be friends, Miss Rarity.”
“Oh?” she replied with a smug smile. She leaned in close, and coyly added: “Than why was it that you had such passionate feelings about having to come over today? You rushed out the schoolhouse like your feelings couldn’t wait another day. You don’t have to hide what you want, Snips, just tell me and I’ll help you.”
Snips’ face was completely red, and he couldn’t compose himself to reply. Some pony must’ve been looking out for him, because there was a knock on the front door.
“I’ll get it!” Sweetie Belle shouted from her room, and Snips clearly heard her hooves clunking down the stairs in a hurry.
“Don’t run down the steps, Sweetie!” Rarity called after her sister, stepping out of the kitchen back into the front room. Snips heard the front door click open, and a chorus of filly’s voices filled the front room.
“Hi Sweetie Belle! Hi Rarity!” Snips could tell it was Apple Bloom and Scootaloo even without looking- they were some of the loudest ponies in his class.
“Hey girls!” Sweetie Belle singed-sung.
“Hello, Apple Bloom. Scootaloo. Sweetie, can I have a moment alone with you?” Rarity asked.
“But we can’t leave the girls out in the cold. Can they come in for cocoa too?”
“Sweet! I love cocoa!” Scootaloo chimed in.
“Sweetie… don’t you already have a… play date… with Snips today?” Rarity asked with the careful words of some pony not wanting to hurt feelings. Snips peeked out the kitchen door to get a glimpse of what was going on.
“You mean we can’t join you?” Apple Bloom asked. She looked disappointed, but Snips caught a wink to Sweetie Belle when Rarity looked away to think.
“Please Rarity? Shouldn’t all my friends be friends with each other?” Sweetie Belle asked. Rarity glanced uncertainly at the kitchen and seemed to silently decide something.
“Of course you can stay, darlings, I just need to put out a couple more place settings.” The fillies now officially outnumbered Snips. Alone with four girls that seemed to be plotting something. He was doomed.
*****
Every time Snails was feeling down- if Snips wasn’t around- he only had to visit the park and find some insects to watch to cheer himself up. But this is where winter was extra hard- there weren’t any insects around to entertain him. He kicked the snow in frustration and heard a familiar-sounding screech.
“My angora scarf!” Diamond Tiara screamed. “You’d better be ready to pay for it if you’ve ruined it, Snails!”
“Yea!” Silver Spoon echoed.
“That’s not fair!” Snails protested. “There’s snow everywhere! If you didn’t want it to get wet, you shouldn’t have worn it outside!”
“What, you want me to go outside in something cheap like your scarf? I’d rub myself in soot first!”
Snails wasn’t quick to anger, but Snips had made him his scarf! Just because they weren’t getting along right now didn’t mean he would let Diamond Tiara insult it. He scooped up a ball of snow with his magic.
“Don’t you dare!” Diamond Tiara yelled.
“I’ll tell on you!” Silver Spoon added.
The snowball flew, smacking Diamond Tiara’s rump and making her screech in fury. Silver Spoon grabbed a clump of snow to retaliate, but Snails was already running away. Where could he go to avoid them? His mother wouldn’t let him in again until dinnertime, and that was several hours away! Glancing back and seeing he was out of sight of the fillies, he ducked behind a snow-covered bush and hoped he had dodged them.
All too soon, he heard their hoof steps clattering down the snow-cleared cobblestone path and stop nearby.
“Where did he go?” Diamond Tiara spat.
“I have no idea. Maybe he’s hiding.” Silver Spoon answered.
“A yellow unicorn shouldn’t be able to hide well in a snowy landscape. You look over this snow bank, I’ll go further down the path.”
Snips heard Silver Spoon take some steps towards his direction and cringed. She was going to find him! But then the steps of a third pony joined the bully fillies.
“G-good morning.” Snails heard Fluttershy stammer. “How are you girls today?”
“Hello Miss Fluttershy,” Silver Spoon answered the Pegasus mare.
Something small and furry poked Snails, and he looked down and saw a white bunny poking his hip. Noticing he had Snails’ attention, the bunny pointed away from the fillies, hopping up and down. Snails rose to a crouch, and followed the bunny further away from the danger.
The bunny continually looked over its shoulder to make sure Snails was following, and when they were out of sight of the pink and gray fillies Snails jogged slightly to keep up with the animal. Eventually they came out of the park and crossed an arched bridge over a frozen stream towards a little cottage on a slight incline. First thing Snips noticed was birdhouses hanging and sitting on almost every available branch or ledge. He imagined in the springtime the area would be filled with birdsong. A pony would cared so much about birds probably would have plenty of flora growing around, too, but that was just a guess on how the how the snow-covered cottage looked without snow all over it.
Going by the word of the street, he was looking at Fluttershy’s cottage. Snails hadn’t ever visited Fluttershy before, but from the way the bunny seemed to glare at Snails as it stomped his foot at Fluttershy’s front door, it was clear that the creature wanted Snails to go inside, and fast.
Pushing on the front door a little he found it unlocked. The bunny raced inside, and Snails tentatively put a hoof inside.
“Oh, hello there,” Fluttershy greeted Snails from behind the colt. Snails leaped back in surprise, the feeling of having done something wrong struck him despite Fluttershy’s friendly tone. He hadn’t heard the mare approach, but as he turned to face her from it was obvious from her still fluttering wings as she touched the ground that she had been flying. Her wings were as quiet as an owl’s!
“Um…. hi Miss Fluttershy,” he replied sheepishly. The mare gave him a small smile and said:
“Would you like to come in? If you’re not too busy, that is. I understand if you have things you’d rather do.”
Snails was about to reply an uncertain positive when a faint whirring in the distance picked up in his big ears. That sound he’d only heard once before, and he hadn’t been able to find the source before it went away- a mole cricket. Snails desperately wanted to see one, and look to at the appendages that made that sound. He thought they were in hibernation in the winter! Spring must be closer than he thought.
“Sorry, Fluttershy, I gotta go!” Snails dashed off without waiting for a response.
*****
“So Snips… do you really like Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo asked after Rarity had gone into the cellar to fetch more of the ‘good china’. Alone with the three fillies in the kitchen, Snips was torn between planning escapes and hoping Rarity would come back soon.
“Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, blushing.
“What? The sooner we figure this out, the sooner we can leave and do something fun, like whatever ‘ice fishing’ is.”
“Tea parties are fun!” Sweetie Belle argued. Snips had no doubt she had had many with her big sister.
“If you like froo-froo stuff…” Scootaloo muttered.
“C’mon, girls, maybe we can get a Cutie Mark out of it, like for tea testing or manners… or something,” Apple Bloom suggested, quickly running out of ideas.
“What about Cutie Marks in interrogation?” Scootaloo suggested with mischief in her eyes. Three pairs of eyes pointed at Snips, and he gulped.
“Forgive me, everypony. It seems that my rose china only has four settings in all,” Rarity called as she made her way up the cellar steps. The white mare appeared levitating with her magic a white cardboard box and a couple of extra chairs. “I think these chrysanthemum-patterned cups and plates shouldn’t clash with the rose ones.”
Rearranging the places settings around the table and adding the extra chairs with her blue aura, Rarity flawlessly made her table display fit the ‘uninvited’ guests. Rarity’s presence while the ponies seated themselves kept the fillies from asking Snips awkward questions, but it also put an uneasy silence over the group.
What could you talk about in the presence of someone older than you that they could relate to? Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were both so rough and tumble compared to Rarity, Snips was sure it was hard for them to think of what they could talk to her about. Sweetie Belle admired her big sister but some of things she talked with Rarity must be embarrassing in front of her friends. Snips’ presence as a colt among fillies probably added another layer of uncertainty. And then there were some subjects could flat out get a kid in trouble when shared with an adult.
Snips knew what he wanted to discuss- Rarity, the school report, and their possible future together as apprentice and master. But those things were hard to talk about with the Crusaders watching. It seemed that the consensus of the kids in his class was that only weird stallions worked in fashion. He definitely didn’t want to be made fun of.
While the younger ponies floundered for a subject, the great hostess Rarity took the uneasy quiet in stride and began to serve the food, using it as a conversation starter. She picked up her teapot and began to pour a creamy brown liquid into Snips’ teacup.
The aroma of chocolate flooded Snips’ nose, a soothing nostalgic smell that eased his stress. While Rarity poured the others’ cups, Snips pressed his nose closer to his cup and detected a faint hint of roses in the liquid.
“This is cocoa?” he asked.
“I’m sorry, the tea set is a bit misleading, I’m sure. I special ordered this cocoa brewed with cream and a splash of rose water to add a hint of elegance. I only wish I had time to look into a cocoa serving pot for fine dining- it feels uncouth serving it in a tea set.”
“It smells really good!” Snips exclaimed. He wanted to try it, but if Rarity hadn’t wanted him to sit before everyone was there she probably wouldn’t want him to drink before she said it was okay. Rarity poured herself a cup and took a dainty sip.
“Thank you, dear. Do drink up, everyone. There are marshmallows in the sugar pot if you’d like some.” Everypony added marshmallows to their cup eagerly. Snips lifted his cup and it felt pleasantly warm in his fore hooves. Usually he’d blow on a hot liquid but the warmth of the cup made it seem like he wouldn’t scald his tongue if he dove right into it, so he attentively took a sip. Its taste gave him the feeling like he was like sitting in a chocolate store with a warmed towel around his body after he just got out of a bath with rose-scented soap.
He slurped up the rest of his cup- it was the perfect temperature and didn’t burn his tongue. Snips wanted seconds immediately, but he didn’t want to appear greedy. Rarity seemed to understand his desire and silently levitated the tea pot over to Snips to pour him another cup, topping off her own cup and then nudging the marshmallow pot in his direction with her hoof.
“So, Sweetie Belle tells me every pony in her class in interviewing ponies for a school project. Has every pony decided who you’re going to interview?”
“I’m interviewing Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo answered.
“I thought Miss Cheerilee said it had to be some pony you wouldn’t normally think of,” Apple Bloom said.
“Aw, shoot, really?” Scootaloo groused. “I dunno who else I’d ask.”
“You could interview me,” Rarity suggested. “You may as well, Apple Bloom.”
The fillies looked aghast at the offer, but Snips couldn’t waste the opportunity. No pony knew Rarity was his first choice for his dream job.
“What about me? Could I do it?”
He was met with snickers and blank-faced Rarity. Rarity quickly regained her composure and answered,
“It’s only fair since I offered to the girls. Shall we make an appointment after we’re finished here, Snips?”
A knock on the front door interrupted Snips’ answer.
“That could be a customer. Do continue, I’ll be back when I finish helping them,” Rarity explained as went through the kitchen door to the storefront. Out of Rarity’s sight, the Crusaders’ attention zeroed in on Snips.
“You wanna be a fashionista, Snips?” Scootaloo asked, laughing.
“Naw, I think he wants an excuse to hang around Sweetie Belle more,” Apple Bloom teased.
“There’s cutting involved in fashion,” Snips said defensively.
“Cutting your way into Sweetie Belle’s heart is more like it,” Scootaloo joined in.
“Quit it!” Sweetie Belle snapped at her friends.
“Okay, okay, Belle,” Apple Bloom giggled. “How about we go back to trying for those Cutie Marks in interrogation now?”
“Yeah, that sounds fun!” Scootaloo agreed. “But won’t Rarity be back soon?”
“Not likely- she takes forever with her customers,” Sweetie Belle answered. Snips looked back at the door Rarity went through. He really wanted her to come back now. The fillies left their seats and started closing Rarity’s curtains.
“What are you…” Snips started to ask, but the words fell away when the absence of light emerged. The bumps and rustling around him made Snips even more uneasy, so he tried to light his horn, but couldn’t focus well enough to bring up a couple of sparks. When Snips finally thought he couldn’t take enough and was on the verge of leaving, a round bright light shone directly in his face. The pain made him close his eyes to protect against the light, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to remain sightless in a room full of mischievous girls.
Squinting, he figured out it was a small desk lamp pointed in his face, and he thought he could make out the shapes of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but they looked different. His eyes adjusted and he saw that they were wearing fedoras. He wondered briefly where they had found the hats in the kitchen, but then again, it was a clothing boutique they were in.
“Why are you here?” Scootaloo asked in a gravelly angry voice while banging her hoof on the tea table with her foot for dramatic effect.
“Yeah, you gotta ‘fess up!” Sweetie Belle asked in her gravelly voice, also banging the table.
“Girls, we can’t all be the bad guard! One of us has to be the good guard,” Apple Bloom insisted.
“But being the bad guard is the coolest!” Sweetie Belle whined.
“Girls, can you get the light out of my eyes? It hurts!” Snips complained.
“Not until we have answers!” Scootaloo demanded, banging both of her fore hooves on the tea table now.
“Scootaloo, we haven’t decided who the bad guard is yet!” Sweetie Belle protested.
“Let’s sun, cloud, and plant for it!” Apple Bloom suggested. Facing each other in a small circle while they shook their fore hooves in front of themselves, Snips took advantage of their diverted attention and quietly lifted the sandwich tray from the food platter tower. Ducking under the tea table with it, he hoped the tablecloth would hide him until Rarity came back.
*****
Last spring when Snails had first heard the Mole cricket’s siren song, he spent all afternoon trying to find the source but had no luck. He had been uncertain about what it was, but had a strong feeling it was a bug. He went to Ponyville’s library for answers the very next day. The library had been built inside a tree- in class he learned back when Ponyville was founded they had planted a tree ring that Earth pony magic had sped up the growth. The Earth Ponies had the saplings grow up together into one tree while still keeping the center hollow (aside from a couple of walls for rooms) and leaving open spots where they needed a front door and windows. Inside, they had built a multitude of shelves so not a single wall was unadorned with books. There was a basement that somehow hadn’t damaged the trees roots nor affected the structural integrity of the tree, and a second story where the Librarian- who in this generation was Twilight Sparkle- lived.
“Good morning, Snails!” The lavender unicorn Librarian greeted him warmly. Snails flushed when he saw her- no doubt he was firmly implanted in her mind after he and Snips had let a wild Ursa Minor into town. He didn’t understand why the unicorn didn’t resent him, like a lot of Ponyville still seemed to.
“Errr… hi,” he replied, looking down at his feet. Twilight Sparkle seemed to be waiting for him to say more, and it led to self-conscious silence between the two ponies. But maybe it was just self-conscious on his part, because the Librarian spoke up again without a waver in her voice.
“May I help you find something? Are you here for a book?”
“I… uhh… heard a buzzing outside,” Snails shared. The unicorn stood up and began to levitate books off of shelves as she glanced at the titles.
“Did it originate from a synthetic source or an organic one?”
“I think… it was a bug?” Snails replied. He didn’t recognize all the words in Twilight’s sentence so he wasn’t sure he was answering it correctly. The unicorn nodded and her pink aura returned several books back to their shelves. Shagging a couple others until she had five tomes in a neat pile, Twilight smiled as she set the books down in front of the colt.
“I grabbed the Insect Encyclopedia for you, but I think Ponyville’s Field Guide has better illustrations, even though there’s more in there than insects. I also stuck in A Beginner’s Guide to Creepy-Crawlies, Bugs & You, and Interesting Insect Sounds, which seemed relevant to your search. Did you want to read these here or check them out?”
“Here,” he muttered and dashed off to a corner with a pile out of Twilight’s eyesight. There was so much to read, it made his eyes hurt just thinking about it. Snails flipped through Interesting Insect Sounds, but was disheartened to find it didn’t have many pictures.
He spent at least an hour flipping through the books looking for a picture that could be the insect he had heard. He knew it wasn’t a wasp or a bee- the sound was way different. It was not a cricket’s chirp, either. But then he turned the page from the cricket in Ponyville’s Field Guide and saw something really cool looking: a bug with a long cylinder of an abdomen with wings folded over it, back legs like a cricket’s, average bug middle legs, and awesome massive forward folding front legs with spikes on them the book said was for digging. It was the Mole Cricket from the Gryllotalpidae family, and the males “sang” during mating season.
Snails looked into what he thought were soulful black eyes, and knew he wanted to catch one to have a closer look. Leaving his corner, he sought out the librarian’s help again.
“Do you have any books on bug catching?” Snails asked her. The unicorn looked hesitant, and Snails recognized it as similar to the unhappy look his mother gave him the last time he brought a really cool rhinoceros beetle home. Most mares didn’t like bugs, it seemed. Wordlessly she levitated a book to Snails and said,
“Be gentle with the little critters.” Snails couldn't believe she thought he would hurt them! He checked out the book and tried to only come when Spike was watching the Library from then on- even after Twilight had become an Alicorn Princess.
The book definitely had good catch and release techniques, so Snips prepared for the next time he’d hear the Mole Cricket. For a couple of months while he kept his ears open he’d spend his allowance on cheap spades, burlap sacks, butterfly nets, and empty jars he poked holes in the lid in. He made kits of one of each of those items and hid them in tree knotholes and abandoned nests throughout Ponyville’s park plus the edge of the Everfree forest.
If he heard the buzzing again, he’d run to the nearest kit and then capture it. Only every time when he came back with the kit the buzzing disappeared. It had taken to this winter when he heard it again. He wouldn’t miss it this time!
*****
“I win!” Scootaloo finally called out. Snips gulped down two cucumber and watercress sandwiches in nervousness.
“Okay Snips… where’d he go?” Apple Bloom asked, perplexity clear in her voice.
“Maybe he went to the little colt’s room?” Sweetie Bell suggested.
“Open the curtains back up, girls, he couldn’t have gotten far.”
Snips watched, as the light behind the tablecloth grew brighter until the winter’s daylight was clear, during which he finished all the cucumber and watercress sandwiches in his panic of being discovered. Moving on to the curried egg salad sandwiches, their heavenly taste almost took him away from his terrifying reality.
He heard the fillies stomping around the kitchen, the sound of every cabinet and drawer opening and closing making him jump. He shouldn’t really be afraid, he knew- the Cutie Mark Crusaders weren’t known for violence. But their ideas- that was the scary part: their ideas on what to try for their Cutie Marks included extreme sports and dangerous situations. What if their interrogations led to torture like wet willies or tickling? A tickled stallion was not a manly stallion.
They stopped banging around and started whispering to each other, which Snips did not like. He bet they knew where he was- and he noticed that he had finished off a plate of tea sandwiches that could’ve fed six ponies with leftovers. His mom wouldn’t be happy with him.
Something grabbed his back legs, and Snips felt himself starting to be pulled from under the table. Desperate, he managed to grab a table leg and hung on for his life.
“Come out from under there!” Scootaloo snapped. He glanced back to see Apple Bloom and Scootaloo each had one of his legs. Knowing that he might not defeat them in a strength contest, he began to flail his legs in hopes of shaking them off.
“No! You’re all being mean!” He yelped at them.
“We just wanna know what you’re really doing here,” Apple Bloom tried to explain, her voice strained in the act of pulling him. No way did Snips trust them not to laugh at the truth, though.
“That’s private!”
“I bet you want Rarity for your report so you can steal her designs and sell them to another designer!” Sweetie Belle accused.
“That’s not why- I don’t steal from ponies!”
“Then you want Rarity to teach you her gem finding spell so you can get rich quick!” Apple Bloom accused.
“I don’t want no stinking gems- I have an allowance!” Sweetie Belle wrapped her fore hooves around her friends’ torsos and tried to help pull Snails off of the table leg. Snips glared at them.
“Then you must want to interview Rarity to get closer to Sweetie Bell!” Scootaloo insisted.
“Yeah, you like her, so admit it!” Apple Bloom agreed.
“I DON’T LIKE SWEETIE BELLE’S UGLY MUG!” Snips yelled. The fillies gasped, letting go of the table. It tittered on its legs and flipped on its side away from the fillies. Chinaware crashed on the ground, and the uneaten food splattered everywhere, frosting & cocoa staining everything. Snips stared at the mess in horror, and looked up to see Rarity staring coldly at him. He realized in this position with his hooves on a table leg it looked like he had flipped the table. And why had he been so loud? Rarity must’ve heard his shout.
“Well,” the white unicorn mare’s voice sent a chill down his spine. “If you don’t like your hostess, than you really don’t have a reason to stay, do you?”
Snips’ eyes filled with tears, and he ran past the mare, only remembering to grab his coat and leaving Carousel Boutique’s front down wide open behind him,
*****
Snails wasn’t sure how long he’d been digging in Ponyville’s snow-covered park. He’d gotten too tired using the spade from one of his emergency kits in his mouth and it was too hard to levitate the spade with his magic, so he’d begun who knows how long ago digging many little holes with his hooves.
Pony hooves were more flexible and sensitive than the average hoofed mammal, but even through his boots all the various holes dug in the snow had begun to numb them. Snails could’ve sworn he’d heard the Mole Cricket a mere foot away not long ago, but then again, he didn’t have a means for measuring time.
Digging was a mindless task, so it left Snails all the time in the world to think about his fight with Snips. Snips and Snails usually did the easiest and least amount of work required to get passing grades on their homework, but this time it was clear Snips had a pony in mind. It wasn’t not an easy interview, not like his Snails’ Mom who knew Snips well would be, but some pony else who had Snips’ full attention.
Snips was just doing a homework assignment for now, but what if he liked that pony enough to get an apprenticeship with them? Snips wouldn’t have time to play anymore, and Snails would be alone. He talked with the other students sometime, but only Snips really seemed to understand him.
All this digging and worrying exhausted Snails. Falling on his side over a pile of snow, Snails had a vague thought about missing his favorite pillow. But sleep quickly took his thoughts away.
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Wow. Poor Snips, teased, pressured, and then when he snaps he insults Sweetie... hopefully Rarity actually spends time asking the CMC what they were doing, instead of just huffing.
Looking forward to the last few chapters.